Gameplay Sound    Graphics Value Genre: Adventure & RPG Min OS X: 10.5.8

Lume September 22, 2011 | Andrew Lennox

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Click to enlarge Key Puzzle

Puzzle games haven’t sat well with me in recent years. I tend to get frustrated at the simplest of codes which I have to crack. This resulted in me avoiding playing many fantastic puzzle games. However, when I came across State of Play's Lume I was intrigued by its unique approach at the age old concept of a point and click puzzle / adventure game. Even though I wasn’t too excited about spending extended periods of time on puzzles, I gritted my teeth and gave it a go.

When I first clicked on the “New Game” option from the main menu I was greeted by two characters. The main girl (who you control) called Lumi, and her Grandfather. The game starts off at the Grandfather’s house where his electricity is mysteriously cut off. Lumi must attempt to reconnect the power using self-sufficient sources (ie. Solar Panels) before her Grandfather arrives back home. While trying to repair the old man's house Lumi comes across many puzzles made by her grandfather to make things just a little bit more difficult.

It’s hard to ignore the environmentalist undertone shown throughout the story. I personally don’t mind it myself, but I’m sure the skeptics wouldn’t appreciate it. If you ignore that aspect of it, Lume offers a very simple yet adorable story to keep the player interested while trying to solve all the puzzles.

The only issue I had with the story was that it was very short, and by short I mean 1-2 hours max. While the developers say that there is more content to come, as of writing this I would say that the story needs to be much longer to justify the price.

This is the part that got me most excited before playing Lume. As opposed to other games of its type, this constructed world by State of Play was made in reality. The house, the interior and the village we’re all made in a studio and captured by camera. It’s hard to explain, but it’s definitely a different approach to making these sorts of games. After the process of capturing the scene, the characters are added in digitally creating a synergy of reality and the digital world. It must be commended for even attempting this idea. The compelling style, in my opinion, matches the story very well.

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